IEEE VTS/ITSS and ITS Canada Joint Meeting EX EMERGE: A research and innovation initiative on connected and automated driving Fortunato Santucci University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy Abstract – In the challenging field of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) we present a multi-disciplinary research project (EX-EMERGE) that aims at developing and validating key technology enablers for advanced levels of automated mobility: vehicular communications, accurate and reliable positioning, machine learning for automated operations, multi-access edge computing architectures and security by design. We illustrate recent advancements in these research areas, along with a set of case studies, whose functional and performance requirements are tested in real scenarios. These case studies are deployed on experimental facilities that are available in our university research center thanks to a public-private partnership and to the support of national (Italian) and European agencies. Furthermore, we touch upon specific research directions in the area of mobile communication systems, including performance analysis and testing of cellular V2X interfaces based on LTE Mode 4 PC5 and 5G-NR Mode 2, along with 6G oriented paradigms such as non-orthogonal multiple access and intelligent reflecting surfaces. For more information: (https://www.univaq.it/en/section.php?id=1999) Co-sponsored by: ITS Canada CAV Technical Committee Speaker(s): Fortunato Santucci Room: 3038, Bldg: MacLeod Building, UBC Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2356 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6T 1Z4, Virtual: https://events.vtools.ieee.org/m/364475